Track & Field

East Stroudsburg University of PA

Newhard Becomes First Back-To-Back ESU
Indoor Track & Field All-American
Fees Has Strong Showing Tying for Ninth

March 14, 2003

Boston, Mass – For the first time in school history, East Stroudsburg University has an All-American in back-to-back years in indoor track and field in Mike Newhard. Newhard jumped 6-9 ¾ to take sixth in the high jump at the NCAA Division II indoor track and field nationals. The performance equaled his placing last year where he tied for sixth. Teammate Brad Fees tied for ninth this afternoon in his first national indoor outing.

Newhard from Coopersburg, Pa. bettered his effort at nationals from last season by a half inch when he jumped 6-9 ¼” to tie for sixth as a sophomore. The junior high jumped 6-9 ¾” this afternoon to take sixth place for the second time and become a repeat All-American in the event.

“Mike and Brad did very well today. Mike did not miss until getting to 6-9 ¾” where he was able to get the height on his third attempt,” explained ESU jump coach Karen Gaita. “They were seeded ninth and tenth going into today and they looked to jump high and did.”

Newhard became the first two-time indoor All-American since Rob Stone did it in 1995 and 1998 in the long jump finishing sixth and fourth. The Southern Lehigh High product won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title on March 3rd for the second-year in a row by tying his ESU record and setting a new conference mark of 6-10 ½”.

Fees had a great outing of his own. The senior from Port Carbon, Pa. recorded a jump of 6-6” in the high jump to claim a tie for ninth place in his first trip to the national championships. He was runnerup to Newhard at the PSAC championships with a jump of 6-8 ½” after taking third in 2002.

Ivan Varbanov of Central Missouri won the high jump at 7-0 ¼” only bettering Newhard by a half inch.

The Warrior duo and the rest of the track and field teams will take to the outdoors for the first time next weekend at the Virginia Commonwealth Ram Invitational in Richmond, Virginia next Friday.